Is there any way you can post a track plan or email one of us a copy so we can post it?
And, are you absolutely certain those Peco turnouts are Insulfrogs, not Electrofrogs?
As I say, if the layout is simply constructed of flex track with Insulfrog turnouts and there are no reversing sections or loops, no bus, and no feeders, it would be pretty difficult to create a short. Not impossible, but pretty difficult.
Maybe without a track plan that is the way to analyze the problem. Try to imagine such a scenario in which a short would occur.
if there appear to be a multitude of shorts, a different tack is to just find one short to better understand the cause. Once you understand the cause, you can make changes w/o locating each and every short.
this is more than desperate. It may make sense to make sure there isn’t a short on some small isolated section of track that you’re pretty sure doesn’t have a short – a length of straight track.
Then add another section with a single turnout and check for a short. try the turnout in both positions.
As I used to say at work finding software bugs when people would ask me how I recognized the problem, “Every mistake I find is one I’ve made myself many times before.”
I have used both Electro & Insul frogs turnouts from Peco & I have never heard of bonding needed under Insulfrog. Yes, one can add switches to bond blades to stock rails so the tabs on the Code 100 turnouts ( which are no longer on the new versions) are electrically paralleled.
thank you for everyone’s assistance. Had a bit of time this evening so I read these posts again and got to work. One comment stuck in my head “do I have a mix of electro frog and insulfrog” I thought not but it turns out I did.
My switching layout has 33 turnouts, turns out I had 4 electrofrog’s. I had no idea. I removed the electrofrog turnouts and now I have no short circuit between rail A and Rail B.
Another evening I will replace these 4 turnouts and press on with bus wiring and feeders, checking as I go!
I may still get that track plan up on here just for some feedback. My time is limited and so I try to focus on working on the layout.
All you have too do is put insulated joiners oon the two center diverging rails. All 4 diverging rails if you want belts and suspenders. And then the Electroofrogs will be just fine, no shorts. You just can’t have power feeds on the frog side - thus the insulated joiners. Power feeds past the insulated joiners are fine.
Guys were doing a “good deed” by picking up Peco turnouts at various hobby shops, flea markets and such. After a while there were insul- electro- frog turnouts mixed in everywhere.
The “track supervisor” said it was ok to use them but only use the electrofrog on stub-end tracks. Well, before long they were everywhere and a different bunch of guys were doing the wiring without regard to type of turnout.
A real mess…
Glad you got to your source of problems. Yes, use the meter often. The Electrofrogs will be fine on short stub sidings OR gap and feed per power-routing rules.